music - i grow with music

The method was born from the thirty-year experience in the field of teaching musical propaedeutics of the teachers Elena Rizzi and Carla Pastormerlo, within the activities of theGaetano Marziali Academy in Seveso.

In June 1999 the trademark "io cresco con la musica®" was registered at the Italian Patent and Trademark Office by the Academy itself, which is now the only reference point for the method in Italy.

In 2003, the Academy set up a Teacher Training and Updating Centre to run training courses based on the "io cresco con la musica®" method, accredited by the Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR) pursuant to DM 177/Directive 90 and, since 2018, recognised pursuant to Article 5 of Directive 117/2016.

THE BOOKS
The method called "io cresco con la musica®", has now spread throughout Italy, as a methodology in use at introductory music courses in schools or music academies and at state or private nursery and primary schools.
Since 1993, fact sheets and other material specific to the method have been published by Rugginenti Editori Milano.

THE COLLECTION OF TEXTS "IO CRESCO CON LA MUSICA®" includes:
LIVELLO 1 – libro rosso per bambini di quattro – cinque anni
LIVELLO 2 – libro arancione per bambini di cinque – sei anni
LIVELLO 3 – libro giallo per bambini di sei – sette anni
LIVELLO 4 – libro verde per bambini di sette – dieci anni
GUIDA PER INSEGNANTI riguardante i livelli 1 – 2
ALBUM PER GIOCARE – (materiali integrativi al primo livello con CD allegato)
CD 123 con canzoni, basi musicali ed altro materiale per i primi tre livelli del metodo.
CD 4 con basi musicali e altro materiale per il quarto livello del metodo.

Within the series "io cresco con la musica®", the volumes "L'Abracaritmico" volumes 1 and 2 have been published, authored by Maddalena Pappalardo and Paola Lopopolo (teacher-trainers of the Training Centre).

→ Discover the Io Cresco con la Musica series

THE PLAY
The most effective way of introducing children to music is through playing, because it combines the gratifying element with rigorousness.

• PLAY to educate the rhythmic sense
• PLAY to educate listening
• PLAY to introduce musical spelling

Singing is also included in this range of proposals as a means and end of "making music", making the child aware of possessing the first and irreplaceable musical instrument: the VOICE.
The "io cresco con la musica ®" method aims to:

• introduce the child to the understanding of the world of sound and musical language;
•  to enable him to use musical language in the same way as he is normally taught to use verbal language and to express himself through it.

These two are the essential aspects of any educational line: to educate means, in fact, on the one hand to develop all the structures and capacities of an individual, and on the other to introduce him/her to reality.

THE GOALS
The general aims of the "I GROW WITH MUSIC®" pathway are the following:

• development of attention, perception and orientation;
• development of concentration and alertness of reflexes;
• development of motility, coordination and memory;
• starting the encoding and decoding of the symbol;
• development of imitative and logical abilities;
• development of socialisation and group coordination;
• development of creativity and expressiveness;
• education in listening.

These objectives are pursued through the following essential contents:
- exercises on the parameters of sound: pitch, intensity, time and duration;
- rhythm and movement: reading musical rhythms with progressive difficulty;
- voice education and melodic reading;
- reading notes on a staff with different extensions;
- use of percussion instruments;
- listening to simple musical pieces.

The methodology "I grow with music®"also uses specific systems of intuitive notation (Fable of Rhythm, Castle of Notes) to approach the youngest pupils to reading,, recognition and writing of rhythms and notes in traditional notation,, while making use of renowned methodologies such as the Kodàly chironomic system and Dalcrozian rhythmics for the practice of notes and rhythms of pupils over the age of six-seven.
The organisation of the lessons with the children according to the method includes meetings of forty-five minutes for each group of pupils, during which various activities are proposed, relating to ear training, vocal practice, rhythmic education and reading sequences with instruments.
The method of conducting the lesson is based on the use of a workshop type of teaching, guided group activities and minimal use of frontal lessons.
The materials used are CD player, blackboard, keyboard or other tuned instrument, Orff instruments and various audio supports in addition to those already provided and published in the series of the method.